The breakout of the coronavirus pandemic came as a blessing in disguise. This is according to Samuel Monyemore, 35, from Benoni in Ekurhuleni, who was once a homeless person among many vulnerable groups, who had to be protected when the National State of Disaster was proclaimed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in March 2020.

Despite many challenges that left him vulnerable and having to fend on the streets, Monyemore says he is now one of the contributors to the economy through his farming project that he started with the help of the Manger Care Centre, a shelter for homeless people in Benoni, funded by the Gauteng department of social development...